


too close for comfort

by shindouchrono



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Confessions, Fluff, M/M, bed sharing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 13:18:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14916099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shindouchrono/pseuds/shindouchrono
Summary: Kazuma and Chrono share a bed. It goes just as well as you'd expect.





	too close for comfort

“Ah, I’m sorry, but… we only have one room left, with a singular bed.”

Kazuma’s jaw falls open at the innkeeper’s words. Chrono looks over at his teammate, brows raised.

“God, I should have known. We should have left when Taiyou did.” Kazuma shoves his head into his hands, groaning loudly.

“What? What’s the big deal, Kazuma?”

“Y--You… Shindou, you’re okay with this?!”

Chrono crosses his arms, shrugging his shoulders as he does. “Yeah? Why does it matter? It’s just a bed. I don’t kick in my sleep or anything.”

“So,” the innkeeper begins, looking sheepish. “You'll be taking the room, then?”

Kazuma takes one last glance over at Chrono, then sighs. “Certainly seems like it.”

 

* * *

 

 

Kazuma sits on the bed with his back to Chrono. They’ve both changed into pajamas. Despite the casual wear, the room is tense. Chrono fiddles with his fingers.

“Um, Kazuma?” He asks, from his spot on the ground at the foot of the bed. “Are you angry?”

There’s a small moment of quiet before Kazuma heaves a sigh, for what must have been the thirtieth time that night. “I’m not mad.”

“...Are you sure?”

Kazuma whips his head around, narrowing his eyes into a glare. “I’m seriously not. I’m just thinking we used up all of our luck and ended up like this. That’s what I’m peeved about.”

“There’s a difference between peeved and mad?”

Silence.

“Well, now I’m mad.” Kazuma’s tone is flat, but Chrono laughs. Kazuma does, too.

With a small grin, Chrono tilts his head. “Sorry about that. You’re right, though. We probably have should have gone back when Taiyou did, but we got greedy and wanted to fight more.”

“Damn those critical triggers. And that miracle heal? This is just karma.” Kazuma snaps his fingers, nodding quickly at Chrono, who laughs again.

“I am sorry, though. I can sleep on the floor if you’d prefer, I don’t really care.”

“Yeah?” Kazuma scoffs. “Maybe you wouldn't care, but I care. We can just share the bed. You weren’t lying about not kicking in your sleep, right?”

“Why would I lie about something like that?” Chrono frowns. “I latch onto things and sometimes steal blankets, but that’s about it.”

“Shindou,” Kazuma pats the bed. “If you wanted to cuddle, you didn’t need to make excuses.” His voice is dripping with sarcasm, but Chrono stands up.

The red-haired boy sits next to Kazuma, and their shoulders just barely touch. Chrono turns to look at Kazuma. “I lied. I’ve been told I sleep talk sometimes, too.”

“I’m going to wake up in the middle of the night to hear you sleep-fighting, aren’t I?”

Chrono raises his hands, jokingly defensive. “Please, inform me if my dream self comes up with a cool strategy I haven’t thought of yet.”

Kazuma snorts.

Silence creeps in again, and Chrono’s anxiously fiddling with the sheets, examining them. For a semi-remote area, it was an incredibly nice inn they’d found. Of course, even for a remote area, Vanguard was just as popular as about anywhere else. When Striders heard about the tournament, it was only natural they’d visit. Maybe the people of that area had a unique style of fighting-- or, that was Chrono’s reasoning for their impromptu joining of the tournament in said area.

The sheets and blankets were comfortable-- even the pillow felt akin to silk. Chrono fluffs up his pillow, smiling as it rises up like bread.

“...Guess we should start heading to bed.” Chrono says, hesitant.

Kazuma nods, pulling the covers down so they can both climb in. Kazuma is laying on his back, and Chrono is curled up on his side, watching Kazuma.

Even though the inn was so nice, the bed is incredibly small.

Matching panic rises up in each of them.

Kazuma shifts, then groans. “I'm gonna fall off.”

“I said I could sleep on the floor…”

“No, it's fine.” Kazuma says, sounding slightly agitated. “I was joking about cuddling earlier, but we're gonna end up pretty close.”

“Yeah?”

Kazuma sighs. “I'm asking if you're okay with that, Shindou!”

“Wh-- oh! Yeah, it's fine. I don't care or anything.”

At Chrono's words, Kazuma moves in closer. Their faces are incredibly close. Kazuma shifts his gaze towards a different direction, avoiding eye contact.

“Ugh. Shindou, lift your upper half up for a second. My arm isn't comfortable.” His arm is awkwardly at his side.

Chrono complies, and Kazuma now has his arm wrapped around Chrono's waist, the other arm curled around him.

If you compared the distance before to now, what they initially thought was ‘close’ was actually distant in comparison to their current positions.

They're curled up together.

The lights in the hallway dimmed quite a while ago, and what sounded like a party down the hall quieted to nothingness since then. The only sounds were the two of them breathing, and the distant sound of two flustered heartbeats.

Chrono felt thankful for the dark. If Kazuma could see his face right now, he'd probably get teased for the bright red blush on his cheeks. It's a bit too warm, but easy to deal with. It's stifling in a comforting way.

Still, a nagging worry made itself known. Before he can stop himself, Chrono opens his mouth to speak.

“Kazuma…?”

It didn't seem like Kazuma had fallen asleep yet, let alone closed his eyes.

“Yeah?”

Actually, he hadn't thought of what to say, nor how to voice the thoughts in his head.

“If my heartbeat is too loud, I'm sorry.”

“You embarrassed, Shindou? Didn't you say you were fine with this?”

“S-so what if I am embarrassed?”

“It's okay, then,” Kazuma says reassuringly, trying to keep his voice flat. “...Because I am too.”

Since they're so close together, Chrono can feel Kazuma's body shake. They were both shaking, just a little bit.

Without saying anything, Chrono pulls himself a little closer, wrapping his arms around Kazuma. He shuts his eyes, burying his face in Kazuma's chest.

The dark-haired boy slowly runs his fingers through Chrono's hair.

Neither of them say anything, and Chrono seems preoccupied listening to Kazuma's heartbeat. Finally, Chrono pulls his face away and mumbles something.

“What?”

“I, asked if…” Chrono trails off. “I asked if you'd care if I kissed you right now.”

“Oh.”

Chrono wants to chuck himself off the nearest bridge.

Damn it, he ruined everything. Absolutely everything. He should have known better, and now Kazuma is probably uncomfortable, and--

Suddenly, Kazuma cups Chrono's cheek with his hand, feeling the skin heat up with the sudden contact.

Neither of them say anything, but they lean in at the same time. Their lips gently touch.

“Kazuma?” Chrono whispers.

The dark-haired boy caresses Chrono's face with his hand. “Yeah?”

“Can… we do that again?”

“Yeah.”

So, they kiss again.

Kazuma's hand wanders, searching in the dark to hold Chrono's hand.

Surrounded by blankets of comfort, and _literal_ blankets, Chrono finds himself dozing off. Kazuma hasn't said anything. Neither of them had spoken a word since the last exchange.

If Chrono's strains his ears, he can hear the quickened thump-thump of two heartbeats, working in sync.

Chrono's eyes flutter shut. He can't find a will to fight sleep.

“Love you, Kazuma…” He mumbles, asleep midway through his sentence.

Silence.

“Love you too.”

 

* * *

 

The minute Chrono opens his eyes, he hears people down the hallway and the sounds of life from outside the window. The curtains are doing their job well, blocking out the sunlight.

Chrono peers at the clock on the side table. It's a little past 7am.

His brain is slowly processing details of the world around him. There's a warmth next to him. Chrono had been wrapped in Kazuma's arms.

Ah, right. They had to stay at the inn overnight. Kazuma and Chrono needed to share a bed, because that was the only one available.

Memories from the night before come rushing, and Chrono feels his face flush a deep, deep red.

Was this a dream?

Chrono glances over at Kazuma's sleeping figure. Embarrassed, he quickly turns away, staring down at the blanket in his hands. Chrono raises a shaking hand and pulls the skin of his cheek.

Yeah, no. Not a dream. His face hurts!

A familiar laugh. Chrono turns his head to see Kazuma, the source of the laughter.

“What are you doing?” The dark-haired boy asks, still looking amused.

“Uh…” Chrono says, immediately looking away. “I wanted to check if it was a dream or not.”

Kazuma's cheeks are tinged pink.

“And?” He asks.

“I-I don't think it's a dream.”

Kazuma leans in closer, and the bed quietly creaks. “You don't sound sure.”

Chrono’s eyes flicker down to Kazuma's lips in what had to be the least subtle way possible.

“I'm not.” He replies, voice soft.

Kazuma wraps his arm around Chrono's waist. Like the night before, their faces are close again. With his hand still shaking, Kazuma caresses Chrono's cheek. “You want help checking?”

Eyes half-lidded, Chrono nods. “Yeah.”

Kazuma leans in.

Their lips touch.

“Still think you're dreaming?”

“Hmm…” Chrono’s hands tangle through the thick strands of hair at the back of Kazuma’s neck. “We might need to kiss again. Just to be sure.”

Kazuma grins. “Fine by me.”

 

* * *

 

The walk back to the bus is silent. Chrono's glancing around at the scenery as they walk, obviously distracted, and Kazuma is staring straight forward.

There's a loud thunk, and a string of curse words from Chrono, who clutches his nose with a pained expression. He pulls his hand away, blood dripping.

Kazuma glances over, brows raised.

“Are you o--Shindou, did you just crash into that pole?”

Chrono fumbles around in his pocket, pulling out a handkerchief. He presses it up to his nose.

“Yup. ‘M fine, I just feel like an idiot.”

Kazuma looks concerned, but also like he's resisting the urge to laugh. “It-- it was right in front of you.”

“I was _distracted_!” Chrono grumbles, crossing his arms. “I think it's done bleeding…” He folds up the handkerchief, putting it back in his pocket.

“It's good it didn't bleed that long.”

“Yeah.” Chrono agrees. “Can I use your hand sanitizer?”

“Sure.” Kazuma half-turns, so Chrono can reach the bottle hanging on his bag.

Chrono flicks open the cap with his left hand, squeezing the gel into his right hand. He rubs his hands together, sighing.

“My nose hurts.”

“Well, yeah.” Kazuma glances over at Chrono as they keep walking. “Need I remind you, you crashed face first into a pole that was right in front of you? What were you so busy thinking about?”

Clearing his throat, Chrono glances to the side. “You.”

“A-Ah.” Kazuma responds, staring down at the ground. “Anything in particular?”

“Kind of.” He admits, kicking a pebble on the path they walk down. “I--I was just thinking. Or, well, attempting to. Last night, we… or, well, this morning too..”

Chrono scratches the back of his neck. Goddammit, he could feel his ears burning. He probably looked like an idiot.

“You look cute flustered like that.”

“Wh-- Kazuma! I’m trying to say something important!”

The dark-haired male frowns. Well, really, it was more of a pout.

“What I was saying was important, too. You are cute.”

Chrono puts his head into his hands, pausing to groan. He keeps walking after he’s done. “That’s embarrassing. Anyways! I--I was thinking, that-- well, since we kissed and all that…”

“Wait,” Kazuma interjects. “What do you mean ‘all that’? Do you mean cuddling? Why didn’t you just say that?”

“Why is that what you’re complaining about?! Can you let me talk, already?!”

“Sorry, sorry.” Kazuma crosses his arms. “Keep going. I’m listening, Shindou.”

They keep walking, and even though he was asked to, Chrono doesn’t say anything. He purses his lips, examining the ground. His cheeks are still red.

Kazuma’s are, too.

They stand together at the bus station. It hasn’t arrived yet. Kazuma places one of the bags on the seat, and sits. Chrono does the same.

The redhead has his legs crossed, but he’s leaning forward, chin in hand.

“Shindou, what were you trying to say earlier?”

Chrono has a feeling Kazuma knows what he was trying to say. He parts his lips.

Jeez, why was talking suddenly so hard? It felt like something was stuck in his throat. He couldn’t force the words out. Words that he wanted to say, words that he’d thought about saying for so long. Words that felt so _right._

Squeezing his eyes shut, Chrono grips Kazuma’s hand. He can feel his heart pounding in his chest so violently he worried it would stop then and there. Even though he knew-- or, well, Chrono thought he knew what Kazuma’s answer would be, he still worried. There was no real way to know other than to ask.

Why was this so hard?

“Kazuma, I…” He bites his lip. Actually, he’s not sure he could say anything, even if he tried forcing it.

All of the Vanguard fights in the world couldn’t prepare him for the anxiety he felt here and now.

Kazuma strokes Chrono’s hand with his thumb.

“It’s okay, I’m listening.”

“I-- well, I think you already know, but I-I’m… I’m in love with you.” He finally said it. He said it! Well-- they had both said it last night, but this was different. Somehow, it was different. “I’m-- I’m in love with you, Kazuma.”

Forcing his head up, Chrono looks directly into Kazuma’s eyes.

The sight he sees is shocking, but not _surprising._

Tears are rolling down Kazuma’s cheeks, and his mouth is agape. His cheeks are as red as Chrono’s are, which is as red as his hair.

“Are-- are you okay? Did I upset you?” Chrono asks, inching closer to wipe the tears off Kazuma’s cheeks.

“No, I’m… I’m really happy, so I started crying. Don’t stare so much, idiot!”

“S-sorry…” Chrono lifts up Kazuma’s hand to press a kiss on the front of his hand. “That’s cute.”

Kazuma grits his teeth, avoiding Chrono’s gaze. “That _is_ embarrassing.”

“See?” Chrono grins. Kazuma finally meets his eyes, and he smiles, too. “So, well, I guess what I’m trying to ask, is…”

The bus turns the corner. Kazuma looks over at Chrono, corners of his mouth twitching.

Once they’ve both entered the bus and sat down, the two of them start laughing. Honestly, it was impressive that they had lasted that long. Some passengers glance their way, but neither Kazuma nor Chrono take note. They’re too busy laughing, too busy looking at each other to notice anyone else.

“Anyways,” Chrono clears his throat. “What I was trying to ask, before I was rudely interrupted by the bus… Kazuma, will you go out with me? I-- I mean, will you be my boyfriend?”

Kazuma smiles. It’s the brightest and most beautiful sight Chrono had ever seen.

“Shindou,” He leans forward, kissing Chrono on the lips. “Of course I will.”  

 

**Author's Note:**

> Helllooo! It's me again. I just wanted to write a fic of them sharing a bed but then it ended up a confession fic. It be like that sometimes. God, KZKR is real. It's so real. I'm going to keep churning out fics to quell my need to see these two together. It's fine. I'm fine. This is all fine.
> 
> As always, if you enjoyed my fic, feel to leave a kudo or a comment-- I'd love to talk with you! My twitter is @chronojetdragon, and I have writing commissions open, if you'd like to have me write something catered directly to you! 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a lovely day!


End file.
